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Unable to copy a file: "cannot convert Filename.key please install a newer version of iwork"

I am trying to copy a file from a webdav directory to a local directory.

It is a keynote presentation, prepared locally.

I have the latest version of keynote installed.

When I try to drag&drop the file in question, MacOsX refuses to comply, giving an error message like "cannot convert Filename.key please install a newer version of iwork"


1) I am not trying to convert anything


2) Latest version of iwork is installed already.



The file can be copied from the terminal without a problem.

Macbook Pro

Posted on Mar 19, 2013 9:31 AM

Reply
2 replies

Mar 8, 2015 1:09 AM in response to mbaris

I ran in to this tonight as well. In my case, I was making a copy of my old home folder over to another machine via Ethernet. The files in question were all in:


~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~Keynote/Documents


Indeed, just trying to drag-and-drop a file to copy it produced this error. There must be some processing going on inside the Finder/Mac OS X dealing with some special files inside the document file package. (Actually, I just checked, and I do not get a "Show Package Contents" option on the .key file. I guess it is tied to seeing a .key file.)


I have been unable to just copy over home directory files under 10.10 like I used to always do with much earlier versions of Mac OS X. I guess I have used Migration Assistant the last few times and did not realize simple copies (from Finder) could no longer be done.

May 29, 2015 10:24 PM in response to mbaris

I was having the issue too in OSX 10.10 (Yosemite) and I found a work around (though not very elegant) by using the terminal to copy files.


the command I used was "sudo cp -av /users/myomefoldername\* /externaldive/destinationfoldername" (minus the " marks) and an easy way to add these paths if you don't know them is by dragging the folder on to the terminal window.


1. open terminal (applications>utilities)


2. type: sudo cp -av


3. drag folder to be copied to the terminal window


4. type a /* at the end of the path that appears after that first drag n drop (no spaces between path and the /*)


5. drag destination folder to terminal window


6. type admin password (you won't see the little dots appear as you type the password, but you are typing it, just have to be sure of what you're typing)


7. watch lots of text scroll past as the files copy


BONUS: this seems to be faster than the finder drag n drop copy

Unable to copy a file: "cannot convert Filename.key please install a newer version of iwork"

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